Game three of The NBA Finals (Boston versus the Los Angeles Lakers) lifted ABC to Tuesday victory, with a 2.0 metered market rating point advantage over second-place CBS and Fox. Next was NBC, which continues to benefit from America’s Got Talent, followed by an almost invisible The CW, which filled the evening with repeats of 90210 (#5: 0.6/ 1) and Life Unexpected (#5: 0.5/ 1).

Keeping in mind that results for any live sporting event are always approximate, the game three NBA Finals match-up averaged a 10.4 rating/16 share for the primetime portion from 9-11 p.m., and an 11.0/18 from 9-11:30 p.m. Comparably, this was an improvement of 20 percent from the primetime portion of the Los Angeles Lakers versus Orlando on June 9, 2009 (8.7/14).

Earlier in the evening on ABC was a half-hour edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live (#4: 4.1/ 7 at 8 p.m.) and the half-hour NBA Countdown (#4: 3.9/ 7 at 8:30 p.m.).

In season-finale news, Fox’s Glee wrapped up its successful first year with a third-place 7.7/12 in the overnights at 9 p.m. Comparably, this built from the 8:30 p.m. portion of lead-in Hell’s Kitchen (5.2/ 8) by 48 percent. Overall, Hell’s Kitchen finished third at 8 p.m. with a 4.8/ 8 and it likely to generate interest among key adults 18-49. As for Glee, expect Emmy to pay a visit (or two) this fall.

Elsewhere, a repeat of America’s Got Talent opened the evening for NBC with a second-place 5.0/ 8 at 8 p.m., followed by the original installment of the odd reality/competition at a very solid (and also second-place) 8.1/12 at 9 p.m. Needless to say, new judge Howie Mandel fits in quite well. Week two of Losing it with Jillian lost plenty of steam at 10 p.m., however, with a third-place 3.9/ 7 in the overnights. Comparably, retention out of the 9:30 p.m. portion of America’s Got Talent was just 47 percent.

As a reminder, here is what you will be seeing on the broadcast networks on Tuesdays this fall (with new shows in caps and bolded):

ABC

8:00 p.m.: NO ORDINARY FAMILY

9:00 p.m.: Dancing With the Stars (new time)

10:00 p.m.: BODY OF PROOF

CBS

8:00 p.m.: NCIS

9:00 p.m.: NCIS: Los Angeles

10:00 p.m.: The Good Wife

NBC

8:00 p.m.: The Biggest Loser (two hours)

10:00 p.m.: Parenthood

Fox

8:00 p.m. Glee (new time)

9:00 p.m.: RAISING HOPE

9:30 p.m.: RUNNING WILDE

CW

8:00 p.m.: One Tree Hill (new day)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

National Ratings in Prime-Time:

Week of May 31, 2010

Led by games one and two of The NBA Finals, it was a clean sweep for ABC for the week of May 31 with a first-place finish in households, total viewers and the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Compared to one year earlier, which also included The NBA Finals, ABC grew by as much as 15 percent in total viewers. CBS tied ABC for first in households with a second-place finish in total viewers and minor losses from one year earlier, while NBC and Fox shared the No. 2 spot demographically. Last-place The CW was on par with the year-ago week.

In series-premiere news, NBC’s Losing it With Jillian, featuring The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels, kicked-off out of the season-premiere of America’s Got Talent with 6.44 million viewers (#22 overall) and a 2.6 rating/8 share among adults 18-49 (#12) in the Tuesday 10 p.m. hour. While this certainly is respectable for a summer series, retention out of America’s Got Talent was just 52 percent in total viewers (and 72 percent in the demo).

In season-premiere news, aforementioned America’s Got Talent on NBC is successfully back, with a top 10 finish for both the Tuesday and Wednesday telecasts (see rankings below). A two-hour edition of ABC’s Wipeout (which faced America’s Got Talent in the Tuesday 8-10 p.m. block) was also solid at 8.37 million viewers (#14) and a 3.1/ 9 (#6) in the demo. Earlier in the week, ABC’s The Bachelorette remained a valid summer option at 7.64 million viewers (#17) and a 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#13t) from 8-10 p.m. on Monday. But lead-out True Beauty, also a season-premiere, returned with a far less impressive 5.25 million viewers (#33) and a 2.0/ 6 in the demo (#17t) at 10 p.m. Over at CBS, Canadian drama Flashpoint opened season three with 6.06 million viewers (#26) and a 1.3/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#43t) in the Friday 9 p.m. hour.

There were two ongoing sporting events this week: The NBA Finals on ABC and The Stanley Cup Finals on NBC, and they performed as follows (ranked by total viewers):

In specials news, ABC’s annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which never resonates with viewers, was nothing unusual this year at just 4.00 million viewers (#53) and a 0.9/ 3 among adults 18-49 (#64t) in the Friday 8-9:30 p.m. time period.

What follows are the final national ratings for the week of May 31, 2010 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the top 30 rated programs of the week and the top rated networks on basic cable.

The Next Food Network Star, airing on Food Network, of course, opened season six on Sunday with its most-watched season premiere in total viewers (2.5 million) and adults 25-54 (1.3 million). The kick-off was two hours, airing in the Sunday 9-11 p.m. block.

Just two weeks into its return summer run, Fox has axed drama Past Life and will replace it in the Friday 8 p.m. hour with a repeat of House for the next two weeks. Encore telecasts of Bones will air in the time period from June 25 through July 30.

-Another Gig for Melissa:

Former The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars contestant Melissa Rycroft has been named co-host of ABC’s upcoming Bachelor Pad, a new Big Brother-like reality/competition from the producers of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Rycroft will host opposite Chris Harrison (The Bachelor) effective on Monday, August 9 at 8 p.m. ET.

Game three of The NBA Finals (Boston versus the Los Angeles Lakers) lifted ABC to Tuesday victory, with a 2.0 metered market rating point advantage over second-place CBS and Fox. Next was NBC, which continues to benefit from America’s Got Talent, followed by an almost invisible The CW, which filled the evening with repeats of 90210 (#5: 0.6/ 1) and Life Unexpected (#5: 0.5/ 1).

Keeping in mind that results for any live sporting event are always approximate, the game three NBA Finals match-up averaged a 10.4 rating/16 share for the primetime portion from 9-11 p.m., and an 11.0/18 from 9-11:30 p.m. Comparably, this was an improvement of 20 percent from the primetime portion of the Los Angeles Lakers versus Orlando on June 9, 2009 (8.7/14).

Earlier in the evening on ABC was a half-hour edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live (#4: 4.1/ 7 at 8 p.m.) and the half-hour NBA Countdown (#4: 3.9/ 7 at 8:30 p.m.).

In season-finale news, Fox’s Glee wrapped up its successful first year with a third-place 7.7/12 in the overnights at 9 p.m. Comparably, this built from the 8:30 p.m. portion of lead-in Hell’s Kitchen (5.2/ 8) by 48 percent. Overall, Hell’s Kitchen finished third at 8 p.m. with a 4.8/ 8 and it likely to generate interest among key adults 18-49. As for Glee, expect Emmy to pay a visit (or two) this fall.

Elsewhere, a repeat of America’s Got Talent opened the evening for NBC with a second-place 5.0/ 8 at 8 p.m., followed by the original installment of the odd reality/competition at a very solid (and also second-place) 8.1/12 at 9 p.m. Needless to say, new judge Howie Mandel fits in quite well. Week two of Losing it with Jillian lost plenty of steam at 10 p.m., however, with a third-place 3.9/ 7 in the overnights. Comparably, retention out of the 9:30 p.m. portion of America’s Got Talent was just 47 percent.

As a reminder, here is what you will be seeing on the broadcast networks on Tuesdays this fall (with new shows in caps and bolded):

ABC

8:00 p.m.: NO ORDINARY FAMILY

9:00 p.m.: Dancing With the Stars (new time)

10:00 p.m.: BODY OF PROOF

CBS

8:00 p.m.: NCIS

9:00 p.m.: NCIS: Los Angeles

10:00 p.m.: The Good Wife

NBC

8:00 p.m.: The Biggest Loser (two hours)

10:00 p.m.: Parenthood

Fox

8:00 p.m. Glee (new time)

9:00 p.m.: RAISING HOPE

9:30 p.m.: RUNNING WILDE

CW

8:00 p.m.: One Tree Hill (new day)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

National Ratings in Prime-Time:

Week of May 31, 2010

Led by games one and two of The NBA Finals, it was a clean sweep for ABC for the week of May 31 with a first-place finish in households, total viewers and the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Compared to one year earlier, which also included The NBA Finals, ABC grew by as much as 15 percent in total viewers. CBS tied ABC for first in households with a second-place finish in total viewers and minor losses from one year earlier, while NBC and Fox shared the No. 2 spot demographically. Last-place The CW was on par with the year-ago week.

In series-premiere news, NBC’s Losing it With Jillian, featuring The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels, kicked-off out of the season-premiere of America’s Got Talent with 6.44 million viewers (#22 overall) and a 2.6 rating/8 share among adults 18-49 (#12) in the Tuesday 10 p.m. hour. While this certainly is respectable for a summer series, retention out of America’s Got Talent was just 52 percent in total viewers (and 72 percent in the demo).

In season-premiere news, aforementioned America’s Got Talent on NBC is successfully back, with a top 10 finish for both the Tuesday and Wednesday telecasts (see rankings below). A two-hour edition of ABC’s Wipeout (which faced America’s Got Talent in the Tuesday 8-10 p.m. block) was also solid at 8.37 million viewers (#14) and a 3.1/ 9 (#6) in the demo. Earlier in the week, ABC’s The Bachelorette remained a valid summer option at 7.64 million viewers (#17) and a 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#13t) from 8-10 p.m. on Monday. But lead-out True Beauty, also a season-premiere, returned with a far less impressive 5.25 million viewers (#33) and a 2.0/ 6 in the demo (#17t) at 10 p.m. Over at CBS, Canadian drama Flashpoint opened season three with 6.06 million viewers (#26) and a 1.3/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#43t) in the Friday 9 p.m. hour.

There were two ongoing sporting events this week: The NBA Finals on ABC and The Stanley Cup Finals on NBC, and they performed as follows (ranked by total viewers):

In specials news, ABC’s annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which never resonates with viewers, was nothing unusual this year at just 4.00 million viewers (#53) and a 0.9/ 3 among adults 18-49 (#64t) in the Friday 8-9:30 p.m. time period.

What follows are the final national ratings for the week of May 31, 2010 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the top 30 rated programs of the week and the top rated networks on basic cable.

The Next Food Network Star, airing on Food Network, of course, opened season six on Sunday with its most-watched season premiere in total viewers (2.5 million) and adults 25-54 (1.3 million). The kick-off was two hours, airing in the Sunday 9-11 p.m. block.

Just two weeks into its return summer run, Fox has axed drama Past Life and will replace it in the Friday 8 p.m. hour with a repeat of House for the next two weeks. Encore telecasts of Bones will air in the time period from June 25 through July 30.

-Another Gig for Melissa:

Former The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars contestant Melissa Rycroft has been named co-host of ABC’s upcoming Bachelor Pad, a new Big Brother-like reality/competition from the producers of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Rycroft will host opposite Chris Harrison (The Bachelor) effective on Monday, August 9 at 8 p.m. ET.